Music Appreciation and Performance
Rod MacDonald began his career as a singer/songwriter in Greenwich Village, NY in 1973. He has 21 songs in the Smithsonian Folkways collection and has released 12 CDs of his own songs, including 2018’s “Beginning Again” and three CDs with the Palm Beach County band Big Brass Bed. He performs in festivals, clubs and concerts locally and throughout North America and Europe and was named “Best Local Acoustic Performer” in Broward and Palm Beach counties by the New Times and “one of the ten magnificent musicians of Palm Beach County” by the Palm Beach Post. An instructor with Osher LLI at Florida Atlantic University since 2006, his previous series include Music Americana, The Great American Songbook and The Roots of Rock and Roll.
Learn more about Rod at www.rodmacdonald.net.
Rex Blazer (fiddle) is a founding member of the nationally-known contradance band Lift Ticket and is a veteran of several seasons as a fiddler at the South Florida Rennaissance Festival. He performs regularly with local traditional bands and with Rod MacDonald.
Bill Walach (mandolin) has been performing traditional tunes since the 1960s in New England, has published a book of Quebec fiddle tunes and recorded a CD of experimental music for mandolin and tuba. He and Rod first played together in 1973 in Connecticut.
The Music of Cape Breton
Rod MacDonald with Rex Blazer and Bill Walach
One of North America’s most unspoiled areas, the Isle
of Cape Breton, in the northeast corner of Nova Scotia,
Canada, has a unique musical culture drawn from
settlers from France, England, Scotland and Ireland, yet
somehow distinctly New World. The small, close-knit
population has a surprising number of musicians and
singers known for their fiery fiddle tunes and songs of
the fierce seas and breathtaking landscapes around
them. Today, worldwide music festivals feature Cape
Breton fiddlers and singers as a singular presence.
Partially funded by a grant from FAU’s LLS
Foundation, Rod MacDonald and fiddler Rex Blazer
journeyed to Cape Breton in July 2016, to perform and
refresh their knowledge from earlier such trips. Join
Rod, Rex and mandolinist Bill Walach (the St. Patrick’s
Day band at Paddy Mac’s in Palm Beach Gardens) for a
musical journey through the tunes, songs and
characters of the beautiful isle.
Register Early! There is a $5 charge for registering on the day of a one-time lecture or event.
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| Course # W1RK — One Time Event
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| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Thursday, March 2 2017 |
| Time: | 7 - 9 PM |
| Fee: | $25 / member; $35 / non-member |
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Register Now
